VICTORY over Newcastle Eagles is proof that Worcester Wolves are a force to fear in the British Basketball League, claims head coach Paul James.

Wolves produced a stunning display to defeat the defending champions 88-73 at the University of Worcester last Saturday and keep hold of fifth place in the table.

Having lost to Newcastle in their previous two meetings this term, Worcester demonstrated a marked improvement as they won for the sixth time in a row on their home court.

Wolves have now won eight and lost seven of their 15 matches to date and are eight points behind leaders Leicester Riders.

James, though, insists this win will give his side the belief for further success this season.

“We have shown and proved to ourselves that we can take on the so-called big boys, be competitive and beat them so that’s fantastic,” he said.

“The spirit will be great because of that and we know that we’re there to be reckoned with.”

He added: “I am absolutely proud of the team. We had a really good week of practice which was focused.

“We knew it would be a great test for us and we needed to compete with them on every level to give ourselves a chance and we absolutely did that.

“It was a fantastic display of basketball at both ends of the court.”

The Newcastle match was also the first time point-guard Sherrad Prezzie-Blue and new small forward signing Kai Williams have lined up together for Wolves.

It is a combination that James will be hoping can inspire his side and bring the best out of the likes of Alex Owumi, Stan Ocitti and Arturas Masiulis, the latter top-scoring with Williams on 20 points against the Eagles.

There will also be a concerted effort to build on this triumph in training over the coming days as Wolves do not play again until they host Glasgow Rocks on Saturday, December 22.